| TRAINS TO PLANES
RIDOT adding more trips to help ease highway congestion The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) announces the return of free train service to the Rhode Island National Guard Open House and Air Show, May 20 and 21. The Department has doubled service to this popular event with six roundtrips from Providence and T.F. Green stations, and for the first time, Wickford Junction Station. Train service debuted last year to help alleviate congestion on major highways leading to the annual event at the Quonset Business Park in North Kingstown. Nearly 4,000 people took advantage of the service in 2016, representing one out of every 17 people who visited the show. The Air Show is one of the most popular and most attended events of Rhode Island’s summer season, and with it each year comes the unwelcomed consequence of lengthy traffic jams. “We’ve heard time and time again about the long traffic delays people experience driving to the Air Show, especially on Routes 4 and 403 and occasionally I-95,” RIDOT Director Peter Alviti, Jr. said. “We know for a fact after speaking with people who took the trains last year, there are many families who don’t go to this great event simply because of the traffic. Making better use of our transit system makes it easier for families to get to the show while reducing the delays for those who continue to drive to it.” Trains to Planes is provided by RIDOT, working in conjunction with the R.I. National Guard, the National Guard Association of Rhode Island, the Rhode Island Airport Corporation, the Quonset Development Corporation, Seaview Railroad, Amtrak, and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). Attendees can catch the train at either Providence Station, at 100 Gaspee St., Providence; T.F. Green Station, at 700 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick; or Wickford Junction Station, at 1011 Ten Rod Road, North Kingstown. There will be three trains to the show from each station, with returning trains running from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Train riders will receive a color-coded hand stamp to indicate their return station, and RIDOT will have staff on-site at the Air Show to direct riders to the proper departure times based on the station they came from. Free parking is available at T.F. Green and Wickford Junction stations, and State Offices complex parking lots will have free parking for those departing from Providence Station. Space is limited. Train fare will not be collected, and attendees will be asked to consider making a donation to Hasbro Children’s Hospital when they arrive at the Air Show. RIDOT will post signs and use its electronic highway message boards to direct attendees to the parking areas and to indicate if the lots and trains are full. As always, parking is free at the Air Show. During the event, RIDOT will provide updates on train availability and traffic conditions on its social media sites on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RIDOTNews) and Twitter (@RIDOTNews). As was the case last year, space on the trains is limited and is first come, first serve. The schedule is the same for both days of the Air Show and is as follows: To the Air Show
From the Air Show
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“RIDOT’s train service to the RI National Guard Open House and Air Show is another example of our state expanding opportunities for all citizens,” said Brigadier General Christopher Callahan, the Adjutant General. “The RI Guard team is very appreciative of those who continue to make this opportunity possible, especially RIDOT and our state elected officials.”
The same rules regarding what attendees can bring into the Air Show are also in effect on the trains. Backpacks, coolers, bicycles and pets are not allowed. While the Air Show does allow visitors to bring lawn chairs and camp chairs into the event, attendees traveling on the train are asked to bring only collapsible camp chairs. More information on items you can and can’t bring with you into the Air Show are listed online at www.rhodeislandairshow.com.